His gaze swept over me again, slower this time, and it was different. This wasn’t the quick, instinctive glance from before. This was him claiming me with his eyes, lingering on the rise of my breasts, on the tight, sensitive points of my nipples. A low, satisfied hum rumbled in his chest.
“You’re so small,” he said, but it wasn’t an insult. He was marveling at me, almost as if he was committing every inch of me to memory. He let go of my waist, slid his hand up my side, his palm warm and callused, his thumb brushing the swell of my breast. “And so responsive.”
My inner wolf preened under the attention, a contented growl building in my chest.
Then his hand slid down my back, over the curve of my ass, and he squeezed. I sucked in a breath, trying to bite back the gasp that billowed up in my throat, but it was difficult as a rush of heat spiraled down to the pit of my core. He palmed my backside in his hand, kneading me, pulling me tighter against the hard ridge of his cock, and my hips rolled in response, a seeking motion that was as instinctual as it was shameless.
I was slick. Wet. Ready for him.
And he knew it.
Sound rumbled in his chest again, as his gaze dropped down to my nipples. He let go of my neck and circled one with his thumb, and the jolt that shot through me was so intense it made my knees weak.
I swayed, and he tightened his grip on me, holding me up and still as he bent his head. I thought he was going to kiss me, but he didn’t.
Instead, he bit me.
Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make my breath catch in my throat. His teeth scraped right over the mark on the side of my throat, and a fiery wave of sensation crashed over me, so intense it made me dizzy. My body hummed like a livewire, every nerve ending alight, every touch magnified a hundred times over. I was a mess of want and need, my mind a blur of sensation, my body arching into him, demanding more.
“Most of the time, I let you lead, but right now, you’re goingto obey me, little mate,” he growled and my clit throbbed in tune with his words.
I needed to regain some sort of control.
“I’m your leader. You’re supposed to followmycommand,” I countered fiercely.
He lifted his head, his eyes burning with heat. He traced the shape of my lips with his thumb, and I couldn’t quiet the gasp that escaped me just then.
A dark smile touched his lips. My stomach squeezed tight.
“Oh, Tamsin… When it comes to the Accord, you’re our commanding officer,” he murmured, his breath brushing my ear. “But when it comes to being our mate, you’ll do as you’re told.”
A thrill, sharp and terrifying, shot through me. This wasn’t the man who had patched up my skinned knees or taught me how to skin a rabbit. This was the Griff I’d seen on the battlefield, the man who could lead men into hell and bring most of them back out safely.
This was the wolf who had claimed me as his mate.
And every cell in my body was screaming in agreement.
He claimed my mouth then, and his kiss was nothing like what I’d imagined a kiss would be like in my most secret moments. This wasn’t a gentle exploration, a tentative meeting of lips. It was a claiming. Rough, demanding, punishing. One of his hands tangled in my hair, holding me still as he plundered my mouth, his tongue tasting and teasing. He kissed me like he was trying to devour me, to memorize the shape of my lips, the texture of my tongue, the very essence of my soul.
The scent of him made my head spin.
His knee slid between my legs, pressing up against my core, and the friction of his pants against my most sensitive place was a sudden, electric shock. I gasped into his mouth, my hands flying up to clutch at his shoulders, my nails digging into the fabric of his shirt.
My inner wolf whimpered, a soft, desperate sound that he swallowed. My body was no longer my own. It was a vessel for this need, this desperate, clawing hunger that threatened to consume me.
I broke the kiss, gasping for air, my head falling back as I arched against him.
“Griff,” I breathed raggedly, desperately. “Please.”
A wickedly devious smile touched his lips. “Please what, little mate?”
Those words, spoken in that hoarse, growling tone, sent another jolt through me. Then his hand left my hip, sliding down my stomach, and I tensed, anticipation coiling tight in my belly. His fingers, callused and strong, slid through the folds between my legs, and I shuddered, my hips pushing instinctively toward his touch.
“Tell me what you want,” he demanded, his voice a breathy rasp against my ear.
“I want you,” I managed, my voice barely a whisper.
He chuckled, a wickedly dark sound. “You have me.”
